The Power of “You”

Did any of you catch the "Time Magazine" "Person of the Year" feature? The Person of the Year according to "Time" in 2006 was….."YOU".

Now sometimes I think "Time" tries to keep things interesting with this annual feature by stretching to be creative….just for the sake of being creative. I’ve agreed, of course, with many of their annual selections, and been entertained by others. This year’s selection however, while very creative, is loaded with merit. This year’s selection has social implications that one day we will look back upon, and know it as a real watershed moment in human history. Of course President’s, Scientists, Philanthropists, great thinkers, alike, all of tremendous impact on society, but the collective "YOU" which "Time" sites this past year, may be the most powerful of all.

The world wide web has no doubt changed everything. But what does that really mean? We can shop online? We can do research and access information in efficient ways never before possible? We can unload our knick knacks from our garages, basements, and closets without ever having to hold a garage sale? Of course, all of this is true and impactful. But the most significant power of the internet is the ability, as the "Time" article points out, "to wrestle power from the few and help one another for nothing and how that will not only change the world, but also change the way the world changes. It’s a tool (the Web) for bringing together the small contributions of millions of people and making them matter".

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And so what does this mean to us, the aspiring entrepreneur? Stop and think. It means in the most macro sense that the world is changing during our tenure. And with change of this magnitude comes unbridled opportunity of equal magnitude.

We often open the StartupNation radio show by saying "the time is now!". Well, my fellow entrepreneurs – the time really is now. We live at a time that dreamers dream of. The possibilities are endless. What will your place in this historical time be? What will your stake in this golden age be?

Think of ways to take advantage of the shifting of the power from the few to the many as a result of the connectivity created by the internet. The world is smaller. "Six degrees of separation" has now become five, four, perhaps three…perhaps…..

What opportunity lies in the nature of this connected world? What opportunity exists by bringing together people with common interests? What opportunity can be created by seizing the power of the truly viral nature of the world wide web?

Rich Sloan is chief startupologist and co-founder of StartupNation and host of StartupNation podcasts. He is also co-author of the acclaimed how-to book, StartupNation: America's Leading Entrepreneurial Experts Reveal the Secrets to Building a Blockbuster Business. Rich encourages you to [...]